PokeTail: Origins
by Ryoko Ishida
Summary: Tenrou Island was once filled with life. Both humans and Magical Creatures thrived and lived together, protecting one another. But now, only two remain. Two young girls who desperately wish to see the outside world. But they aren't alone. A lone Magical Creature egg managed to survive, but it refuses to hatch. Will a certain blonde, along with his friends, be able to help them?
1. Chapter 1

_Tenroujima. An island far from the mainlands, consisting of forested areas and a large tree resting in the middle. The remains of a village rested on one side of the island, forgotten by many and recovered by the earth. Seven years ago, the village thrived with people, both young and old. A wizard guild known as the Red Lizard had their guild hall on one end of the town. The people here were kind and gentle, nurturing the nature around them._

 _However, they were not the only ones who made the island their home. Strange creatures lived on the island in harmony with the humans. And while animals in this world of magic aren't far from strange at all, these animals were very different for one reason: they could use magic. The type of magic varied depending on the species, unlike the humans whom had branches of magic._

 _These magical creatures helped protect Tenrou Island and the populace from outside forces. Some even became companions or friends of the villagers._

 _Unfortunately, the peace didn't last. Tensions between guilds were high, and because of this, Tenroujima was attacked relentlessly. A couple guilds had joined to attack the Red Lizard guild and the village surrounding it. While the magical creatures tried to help, they were almost completely wiped out by the guilds._

 _Now, the current population is three._

* * *

 **Year X685 - Tenroujima**

"Come on, Zera!" Mavis exclaimed as she ran through the forest. Her long wavy hair bounced behind her, the ends brushing against the dirt. Her brown-haired friend trailed behind her, breathing heavily.

"Mavis! Slow down! Geez…" She sighed in annoyance. She had no idea how her friend was able to have this much energy…

Mavis looked behind her toward her friend. "The sun's going to rise soon. I want the perfect view!" She looked forward again, and immediately tripped over a large and heavy object, causing her to catapult forward and slam onto the ground with a yelp.

"Mavis!" Zera exclaimed, running over to her friend. She slowed to a stop in front of the object, her eyebrows creased in confusion. It was hard to see due to the darkness of the forest, but the outline seemed akin to an egg. "What _is_ that?"

"No, no, I'm fine. Thanks for asking," Mavis muttered under her breath as she stood, earning a light glare from her friend. She brushed off her white dress and turned to the egg. Zera was kneeling in front of it, poking the strange object. "Is… What is that?"

"It looks like an egg. But I've never seen such a huge egg before."

Mavis frowned in thought, placing a hand on her chin. She felt like she had seen a huge egg before, but couldn't place it. She needed to see it in better light. She looked in the direction of her and Zera's favorite spot, then back to the egg. Making her decision, she nodded her head and grabbed the egg, hoisting it up with a little difficulty. Zera blinked in surprise, standing as well.

"Come on," the blonde told her friend, "Let's head back to the library."

Zera blinked in surprise. "But I thought you wanted to see the sunrise?"

"I feel like I've seen this type of egg before, but I can't place it. I need to see it in better light."

"Alright; if you want."

The two returned to the library and turned on the lights. They set the large egg down on the stone floor and sat on opposite sides of it, staring at the design, which was pretty simple. It was mostly brown with a lighter cream-colored thick zig-zag line around the middle.

"I'm absolutely certain now. This is an egg belonging to a Magical Creature." Zera's wide eyes looked to Mavis's serious ones.

"No way! I thought they were all wiped out?!"

"Apparently not. Though it is interesting that this egg hasn't hatched yet."

"Maybe it was recently laid?" See a suggested, but Mavis shook her head.

"No. We would have seen a Magical Creature on this island if that was the case. I think it's been like this for a long time."

"Then why?"

The two continued staring before Mavis stood up and looked to the bookshelves. "I'm going to find something that might explain it." Zera nodded and stood as well.

"Right."

 _For the next year, the two girls searched and searched for an answer. But they never found one. The egg never even wobbled on its own, let alone showed any sign something was alive inside._

"Mavis, I hate to say this, but maybe the egg is dead?"

Zera and Mavis were sitting. At a table in the library, the blonde searching relentlessly through all the books on Magical Creatures. Zera was looking at her friend worriedly.

"I think this is a lost cause."

"It's not." The conviction in Mavis's voice surprised the brunette. "I can feel it… There's something in that egg just waiting to be released. But something's keeping it from doing just that." She flipped the page and resumed reading. "We just have to look harder… Maybe it's a spell that's keeping it locked up."

"If that's the case then there's really nothing we can do. We aren't mages." Mavis sighed, knowing her friend had a point.

"I know… But unless we have absolutely zero percent chance of saving this creature, I'll keep searching." Zera stared at her friend in surprise, then she smiled and returned to her own book.

* * *

A week later, the strange egg finally showed signs of life.

"Look, Zera! See? It's moving!" Mavis exclaimed excitedly as she pointed at the egg as it wobbled once before stilling once more. They had made a small little nest for it out of multiple fabrics and blankets. The blonde was on her knees while Zera stood next to her, her eyes wide.

"It moved…?" After all this time...was their work paying off?

"Come on! Now we gotta work twice as fast-" Footsteps interrupted Mavis and their heads turned toward the stairs. Mavis's eyes narrowed, never leaving the steps. "Zera, you stay with the egg. Make sure it's kept out of sight, okay?" With that she walked closer to the stairway, stopping a few feet away. Zera nodded and remained behind a bookshelf with the egg.

"Just be careful…"

Mavis nodded back to her before turning and staring at the doorway. The steps got louder and louder until the intruder showed themselves.

* * *

Zera watched from the shadows as her friend confronted the blonde young man. She sighed in exasperation when Mavis accepted the man's challenge. "You're so gullible…" she muttered to herself hopelessly. A rustle got her attention and she looked over to the egg to see it shifting slightly for a moment before stopping. She looked at it nervously, hoping that it wouldn't make too much noise.

She looked back to the game just as they were starting once more.

"Okay, new rule! We have to let the other person finish talking!"

"Fine by me," Mavis deadpanned.

The man sighed and relaxed. "Alright, you little cheater. Your turn."

"Alright." Mavis smirked. "This will still be the final round. Are you ready?"

Even from behind the bookshelf, Zera could see the nervousness the man had. "Come on Mavis…" she whispered, "You can do this."

"Ready?"

"Bring it."

Mavis and the man locked eyes for a moment before Mavis spoke, "Even since we first began playing the game, you have blinked a total of fifty-seven times."

Zera's eyes widened in shock at the question, as did the man's. "W-what did you say?!"

"I said you have blinked a total of fifty-seven times since the game began. Now is that statement true or false?" Mavis asked, her face completely stoic.

"I had no idea she was this sneaky…" Zera muttered at the same time the man replied with, "Are you crazy? No one can answer that!" Followed by him immediately covering his mouth in shock.

"Hold on, you pointed out something we both have in common. Since you did that, you lose."

"No I didn't."

"Huh?"

"What is she talking about? She blinks, too…" Zera muttered. Her answer was given not a moment later.

"Since we have started this game I have not blinked once! In fact, I think my eyes are going to explode," Mavis explained while looking at the other blonde, her eyes wide and watering and slowly turning a bit red.

The boy's eyes widened in shock as he took a step back.

"Yeah! You go Mavis!" her friend whisper-yelled, pumping her fist in the air. Mavis, who had heard her friend's cheer, smiled as she rubbed her aching eyes.

"NO! HOW CAN ANYONE ANSWER A QUESTION LIKE THAT?!" the man exclaimed in horror before slamming his head multiple times against the wall, making large cracks in the stone. After a few moments he fell to his elbows and knees in despair at losing the game.

His defeating ramblings of despair were cut off by the sound of even more footsteps, causing Zera, Mavis, and the man to turn toward the stairs.

"Yuri. Care to explain what's happening down here?" a man asked, his mouth covered by a high collar. Another man stopped by his side, looking around at the library.

"Woah, this place is unbelievable."

"You gotta be kidding me…" Zera muttered, shrinking behind the bookshelf once more, "We just got rid of one, and now more?"

"Oh man; it's Precht and Warrod…" the blonde, Yuri, muttered as he lifted himself slightly to look at his friends.

"Let's get going. Our work is done."

"Are you saying you found the orb…?" Yuri asked while Mavis muttered about never telling.

"In a way."

Zera stifled a laugh as she saw the color drain from Yuri and Mavis as they realized how pointless the past few minutes were.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to come with us?" Yuri asked as he leaned against a stable post, looking over to the girl packing her things. "It could be dangerous."

"Of course I know it's dangerous, but I've made up my mind."

A few hours ago, the two, along with Precht and Warrod, had visited the Orb's resting place, only to find it without said Orb. There, Mavis told them of what happened with Blue Skull, and her suspicions of them.

"What about the Tenrou Orb?" Yuri asked. Mavis held in a sigh. It seemed he was just trying to find excuses to keep her away. Though what he said next struck a chord in her. "You didn't even know the Orb was taken for seven years. It couldn't be all that important." Mavis flinched, stopping herself from placing a nicely-folded shirt in her suitcase.

"O-of course it's important! I just never noticed it's disappearance before!" She looked down him. "Besides, it's a great opportunity to visit the outside world!" She paused, the smile on her face now replaced with a frown as she lowered the shirt into the suitcase and looked down. Yuri frowned slightly.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, watching Mavis turn away.

"There was something else Blue Skull did on the island that I cannot forgive them for…" she whispered, making Yuri strain to hear it. When he did, his interest was peaked.

"What do you mean?"

"Tenrou Island was home to creatures exclusive to it. Very few outside of the island knew about them. Magical Creatures."

"Magical… Creatures?"

"While a lot of animals knew how to use some sort of magic, these creatures were on a whole different level. They not only understood human speech and had high intelligence, they had the ability to use magic exclusive to them, depending on the species. From what I've researched, there were a total of about two-hundred species, ranging from small spiders to lions to birds."

"N-no way…" Yuri muttered, his eyes wide in shock at the information. "How were they able to keep this secret?"

"It wasn't easy. Everyone on the island knew that it would be dangerous if they were discovered. That is why the Tenrou Orb was created. It was created by many spells coming together in order to protect these powerful beings. It allowed only those on Tenrou Island to see them, which is why they would divert anyone from entering the Island unless it was previously arranged."

"So the Orb was used as a cloaking device?"

"In a way, yes."

"Hold on, if that's the case, how did Blue Skull get into the island?"

"Simple. Sheer numbers." Yuri frowned deeply as she continued. "They had gotten allies and attacked the island as one massive group. Their overall numbers and their combined power overcame the Magical Creatures…" She trailed off, closing her eyes solemnly. Yuri felt dread creep through him as she did so, and practically forced himself to ask,

"Wh-what happened then…?"

"I told you. We were wiped out. Zera and I were the only survivors."

"...What about the Magical Creatures?"

"Killed. All of them. Or so we thought." She stood, surprising him. She walked over to a door and slid it open, revealing what appeared to be a large egg, the size of Mavis's forearm, wrapped in some blankets.

Yuri walked over, his mouth slightly agape in shock as he stared at the tri-colored egg. "No way… Is that…?"

Mavis turned, letting him get a better view of the egg. "This is the last Magical Creature egg in Fiore, maybe in the world." Mavis kneeled and gently ran her hand over the hard shell. "Zera and I found it about a year ago. The poor thing was all alone. We searched for a while after but there was no one else around…"

"Wait, a year?" Yuri exclaimed in shock. "Is that normal?"

"I'm not sure. But it started moving a few minutes before you appeared." Yuri raised an eyebrow as he walked over, looking down to the egg. His eyes widened slightly when it shook again.

Mavis picked it up along with one of the blankets under it and stood, turning to her friend. "Do you think you could hold this for me for a moment?"

She didn't wait for a response as she handed it to him, leaving him with no choice but to grab it unless he wanted the contents spewed all over the floor.

He cradled the egg awkwardly, looking down at it's strange design. He had never seen an egg like this before, and for a moment, he wondered how much this egg would be worth.

His thought process was halted when a warmth spread through his body, though it didn't hurt at all. He looked down at the egg in surprise when he realized where the feeling had originated.

"Uh… Hey, Mavis?"

"Hm?" She didn't look at him, too focused on finishing her packing.

"The egg… has it done anything strange when you hold it?" he asked unsurely. Mavis paused to think about it for a moment before continuing.

"Not that I am aware of. Why?"

"N-no reason." His slight fear turned into confusion, then wonder. His thoughts on selling this egg were replaced with questions on what was inside it, and why he felt that strange warmth. Like the girl, this egg had intrigued him. He wanted to learn more about it.

"Hey Zera, aren't you going to pack, too?" Mavis's voice caused Yuri to snap out of his thoughts.

"Zera? Who's that?" he asked, turning to her. Mavis smiled at him.

"She's a friend." She looked at the doorway, where her friend was hiding. "Oh, stop skulking around and say hi."

Yuri let out a confused grunt as...nothing came out. No one. Where was she? He opened his mouth to say something when Mavis stood and turned to him with a wide smile. "She's a little on the shy side."

"Uhhh…" The guy couldn't come up with anything to say as Mavis turned, grabbed a suitcase, and turned to her right, holding it out with an expectant smile.

"Come on! Aren't you going to pack your suitcase?"

Zera frowned. "I never said I was going with you! I don't want to be hanging out with a creepy treasure hunter!"

"Oh come on, Zera, this is a huge deal!"

"What do you mean by that?"

"We finally get to see the outside world! We'll never get to experience it if we're held up here. It's scary, but we can't hide from it forever."

Zera stared at her friend for a while before sighing and looked away with crossed arms. "Fine, I'll go with you."

"Then it's settled! We're both going!" Mavis said, smiling at her friend, then Yuri, who tried to hide his confusion.

"Uh… Y-yeah; sure."

* * *

"What the hell is that?" Precht asked Yuri as the latter walked onto the ship carrying an egg.

"What's it look like?" he asked back in slight irritation, fixing the blanket under it.

"Here's a better question: why?" Warrod asked. Yuri sighed and explained to them what the egg was as well as the history behind it, making sure not to leave anything out for his friends.

"So this egg supposedly holds something powerful," Warrod said, staring at said object.

"Supposedly. Mavis said that there were around two-hundred different kinds. Even she doesn't know what the heck is in this thing." Yuri shifted so he held it with one hand and tapped it with his knuckles. The egg suddenly moved in response, surprising Yuri and causing him to almost drop it.

Warrod laughed while Precht sighed. "Good job there, Yuri," the former joked. The blonde gave him a glare.

"It's not my fault this stupid thing suddenly decided to move in my hands." The egg shifted again, but his grip was better with both hands.

"I don't think it likes you calling it stupid."

"Shut up, Warrod!" Yuri growled before sighing and sitting down on the boat, putting the egg down carefully next to him.

The three conversed for a while longer before Mavis and Zera showed up. Once they were all on the ship, they set sail for Hargeon.

* * *

They were sailing for about two days, and had about three more to go. It didn't help that, according to Mavis, the wind around the area came and went every two to three hours. So they were forced to stop multiple times due to said winds.

On this particular day, Mavis had decided to talk to each of the crew members, unknowingly annoying them.

"Why don't you go and take care of that egg of yours?" Yuri suggested before walking away with Warrod to discuss some things.

"Okay!"

Mavis went down into her quarters to check on her egg, Zera right behind her. The two settled down next to the blanket-nested egg.

"It looks perfectly fine to me," Zera said, crossing her arms. Mavis leaned forward slightly and placed a hand on the hard shell, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Zera caught the look and frowned. "Something wrong?"

"Do you remember what Yuri asked while I was packing?"

"He asked a lot of things, Mavis."

"He asked if the egg did anything strange when I held it."

Zera raised an eyebrow. "Strange?"

Her friend nodded. "Doesn't it seem weird?" At Zera's confused look, she elaborated, "Yuri wrote it off, but I thought about it while we finished packing. Now that I think about it more, the egg only seemed to move when he came onto the island."

"You mean Yuri and the others?"

"Exactly."

Zera stared at the shell in thought for a moment before looking to her friend. "We should watch it more carefully then." Mavis nodded silently, sitting straight once more.

"Hey Mavis." The two girls turned to Yuri as he walked down. "The wind's picked up again. We're going to start moving."

Mavis smiled. "Thanks, Yur-"

"Mavis!"

"Huh?" Mavis looked back to the egg which had started wobbling again. Her eyes narrowed in thought and she picked up the egg. She stood and walked over to Yuri, practically shoving it into his arms.

"Wha-hey-What are you doing?" He took the egg, not wanting it to break. His eyes widened when he felt the familiar warmth coming from the egg.

"What happened?" Mavis asked the shocked man. He looked at her, wide-eyed, then back at the egg.

"I...I don't know. But the egg...it feels warm."

Zera blinked in surprise as she stood and turned to him. Mavis's eyes narrowed slightly. "As I suspected…" Both turned to her in confusion. "The egg seems to be resonating with you."

"Huh?" Yuri asked dumbly.

"No way! You can't be serious, Mavis!" Zera exclaimed.

"I am." She looked into Yuri's eyes as she explained. "You see, on Tenrou, there were a few cases of Magical Creatures resonating with certain villagers."

"Hold on, what do you mean by "resonating"?" Yuri asked.

"It's exactly how I said." Mavis looked at the egg. "Like I explained earlier, both people and Magical Creatures thrived together on the island for years. It came to a point where the creatures would start to resonate with certain people. They would form a deep connection with the human, and vice versa." She looked down at the egg. "Though I must admit, I never read or witnessed one resonating before it even hatched."

Yuri only stared at the egg in fascination. "So this thing…"

"It seems as though it was waiting for the right partner to hatch."

"But if that's the case, then wouldn't it have hatched the moment Yuri held it?"

"I'm not sure, Zera. One thing I DO know, however, is that it won't take long now for it to hatch."

Mavis's serious demeanor was gone in a flash when she heard sounds outside, and her smile returned. "Zera! I think I heard dolphins!" Without waiting for a response, she grabbed Zera's hand and rushed up the stairs and onto the deck, leaving a stunned Yuri looking down at the warm egg in his hands.

"...What now…?" He sighed, lowering the egg back onto the nest of blankets. He turned and, giving the strange object one final glance, walked back up the stairs.

He didn't notice the tiny crack that had formed moments ago.

* * *

"Alright! We're finally at Hargeon!" Mavis exclaimed, throwing her hands high into the air.

"Calm down," Zera told her as the group walked away from the boat.

"But I can't! We finally get to see the first part of the outside world. It's amazing!"

Zera sighed and shook her head. "It's not that exciting…"

The group of five walked further into the town, leaving their boat tied to the dock. Within the boat, the lone egg shuddered, the shell cracking further before stilling once more.

A few hours passed and the group had yet to return.

Footsteps sounded against the wood of the deck, sounding heavy and a bit uneven.

The door to the staircase opened and chuckles sounded. Two sets of footsteps came down.

"Man, this place is full of stuff!" one of the men exclaimed as they rummaged through.

"It looks mostly useless, though," another muttered, "Some Treasure hunters these guys are…"

"Hey, what about this?" One of the men knelt beside a brown-colored egg huddled in blankets, a few cracks marring the beautiful shell. "This looks like it's worth something."

"Hm?" The other two walked over and saw the sheer size of it. Smirks formed on their faces before they let out laughs.

"Yeah, that'll do nicely."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Firstly, I must apologize for the long wait. I have been very busy and my over-active mind kept thinking of OTHER stories to make and I've been writing those (specifically one which will be posted later today if all goes well). There's also a huge snowstorm happening right now so I wanted to post this before anything happens to the internet or my power. Enjoy, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!**_

* * *

The next day the group decided to begin their travels to Magnolia, where the Blue Skull guild was located. That morning they returned to the ship to gather any supplies they needed.

"Yuri, I'm going to go get the egg. I'll be right back!" Mavis called out as she went down the stairs, ignoring Yuri's calls to hurry up.

"You guys ready?" Yuri asked Precht and Warrod as he walked off the ship, a pack of supplies and a sleeping bag on his back. Warrod opened his mouth to answer when a horrified scream ripped through the still air. The three men whipped back to the ship. "Mavis!"

The three rushed back on just as Mavis and Zera ran up, a blanket held tightly in the blonde's fists. Warrod frowned. "Mavis, what happened?"

"Th-th-the egg… It's gone!"

The three's eyes widened in varying degrees of shock.

"It was stolen?"

Mavis nodded, tears barely being held in her wide eyes.

"It must have happened while we were in town," Precht said, looking at the stairway door. "The question is who could have taken it?"

Yuri grit his teeth, staring down at the ground for a moment before looking toward Mavis, who was on the verge of an emotional breakdown. He placed a hand on Mavis's shoulder, causing her to look up at him. "Come on, we'll find it. But first we have to get Blue Skull."

"B-but we have to find it!"

"It's possible Blue Skull could have taken it," Precht said, getting everyone's attention.

"W-what do you mean…?"

"Remember yesterday? I don't think they were too happy at what we did." Mavis's eyes widened as she remembered how she and Precht annihilated the bar one of the guild's members was hiding in. They left the guild member alone after that, which was apparently a huge mistake if they really did take it.

"That's only an assumption, though," Warrod said, "It's also possible they weren't the ones who took it."

"Well, we have no other leads. The best thing we can do is head to Blue Skull's hideout in Magnolia and get information from them." Mavis looked down as Warrod placed a hand on her. "I know that you're worried, but it will be fine." She nodded silently and followed them as they walked off the ship and toward the forest.

Zera looked at her friend worriedly. To be truthful, she was upset too. They were so close to seeing what was hidden inside the egg, and it was taken from them!

She could only hope that Blue Skull had it.

* * *

The Blue Skull guild hall was loud and full of fighting, laughing, and drinking. Hundreds upon hundreds of mages were put into the large building known as Cardia Cathedral. The large entrance area housed most of the members, along with tables and a bar. On the other side of the entrance was a raised platform that housed the Tenrou Orb, with the strange egg right next to it.

"Master, why is the egg next to the Orb?" one of the members asked.

"Because it houses a powerful being, a creature stronger than any animal outside of dragons." The member's eyes widened.

"That strong? No way…"

"When it finally hatches, we will use its power to expand our territory!" the Master exclaimed with a laugh. A couple members stared warily at the cracked egg.

When the Master walked into another part of the castle, one of the more rambunctious members laughed mockingly and walked up to the egg. "Ha! I think the Master's lost a bit of his mind," he told another group, who laughed as well. "I doubt something so strong would come out of such a tiny eg-" He tapped the egg a bit too hard, causing it to fall off the pedestal it was on. It was as if everything went in slow-motion as the egg fell to the floor, rolled, fell off the raised platform, hit the floor, rolled a bit on the ground before slowing to a stop.

The entire guild hall was dead silent, every single member staring at the egg in pure shock. Said shock turned into horror as large cracks spread around it like a spider web.

The man who hit it over screamed in horror as a few shell pieces chipped off. He rushed over, picked it up, and started trying to put it back together, but stopped when the egg started glowing. Everyone watched with held breath, waiting to see what would happen.

The golden light completely engulfed the egg and it slowly started to change shape in the man's hands. He held it out as he turned his head away to try and flinch from the light until it died down.

When the light dimmed, the members all turned quickly to see this "powerful Creature". Imagine their surprise, and utter disappointment, when they saw a small brown fox-like animal in his hands.

The small creature opened its eyes and blinked a few times before looking around. Its eyes scanned the room before looking to the one whose hands it was in. It smiled. "Vee!" The hands suddenly pulled back, dropping the newborn onto the ground with a thud. It looked up at the person who once held it, their expression one of confusion and disappointment.

Okay, now the poor thing was confused. Why would this human just drop it? Actually, now that it looked more closely, it didn't know who this person even was! Looking around again, it came to the shocking realization that none of the people were even remotely familiar. It may have been in an egg, but it knew the feel, the _aura_ of the ones who held and cared for it. And they certainly weren't here.

"Ha! You're telling me this little thing is supposedly 'all powerful'?" the mocking voice caught the cub's tall ears, and it turned to see one of the humans laughing and pointing at it. "It's just a baby. How pathetic!" The 'baby' growled at the human, feeling energy build up in its body. These people… they were going to-

"Hey!"

The shout caused the cub to lose its concentration and turn toward the two large open doors where a lone man stood.

"Aoki? What is it?" one of the others asked.

"There's three people trespassing into our city and attacking our guild members!"

"WHAT?!" The fox winced at the unanimous shouts of disapproval and anger that came from all two hundred-or-so guild members. They all stood, shouting different threats and promises of pain as they ran out of the room, nearly trampling the newborn Magical Creature.

Thankfully it was able to climb under a table, cowering away from the loud foot stomps. It slowly died down until only a few people were left to supposedly guard the building. The animal looked at the guards before making a break for the door.

"Oi!" A hand reached and grabbed the scruff of the Creature's neck, lifting it off the floor. "And where do you think you're going?" The man smirked, turning the animal to face him. His eyes widened as he came face-to-face with an angry Magical Creature. Sharp claws swiped multiple times on the poor man's face, causing him to let go and grip his bleeding face in pain. The cub landed on all fours before breaking into a mad dash toward the edge of the city.

It continued running for a minute or so before the ground shook from a blast of blue magic, causing the cub to stop and keep balance. It looked in the direction of the magic blast, its eyes narrowed.

* * *

"Hey, come on!" Mavis broke out of her stupor and turned to her friend.

"Zera…?"

"We have to get out of here!" Zera grabbed Mavis's arm and started running in Warrod and Precht's direction. The blonde turned her head and watched as Yuri kicked a guy down that was catching up to the girls. He turned and faced the guild master with narrowed eyes. He had to stall him so the others could escape.

"You! Tell me, did you take an egg from us?" he asked, his voice even with the slightest hint of anger. The strange Master raised an eyebrow as he thought for just a moment before smirking.

"Oh, so that little treasure was yours, was it?" Yuri's eyes narrowed more and he clenched his fists. So they _did_ take it… "I must admit, I never thought I'd see a Magical Creature egg again. I can't wait until it hatches."

"Why you…" Yuri reached into his pocket and tossed a red crystal bomb at the Master. "Here's a present just for you!" He smirked for only a moment before his expression turned to shock when the Master merely held up a finger, stopping the bomb mere inches from his face. "N-no way…"

The Master smirked before flicking his finger, sending the bomb straight back for Yuri. Mavis turned around at that time, her eyes widening in horror. "YURIIII!"

 _BOOM!_

A ball of black energy shot down and shot right through the bomb, detonating it before it reached its target, though it was close enough to cause Yuri to stumble back in shock.

"Yuri!" Precht exclaimed, stopping and looking at his friend in worry. "Are you okay?!"

"Y-yeah…" he mumbled back, staring at the smoke in front of him from where the bomb went off.

The group's eyes widened in surprise when, with a loud cry, dozens of star-shaped projectiles shot at the Blue Skull members behind them that blocked their way out. The members fell to the ground, the surprise attack leaving them no room to dodge.

"What the hell…?" Precht muttered.

"Look up there!" Mavis shouted, pointing to a rooftop. Yuri, Precht, Warrod, and Zera all looked up to where she was pointing to see a small brown fox with a cream fur tuft around it neck on the roof, snarling down at them.

"What is that?" Warrod asked.

No one answered as even Blue Skull was looking at the animal in surprise. Finally, the Master tore his eyes away and looked at the distracted group. He smirked and swung his cane, shooting blue magic at one in particular.

"MAVIS! LOOK OUT!"

"Huh-" Mavis looked at the magic as it was coming closer to her, making her frozen in fear.

"VEEE!" Mavis felt a hard something slam into her side, knocking her to the ground and helping her dodge the blast. She slammed hard into the ground, her head spinning from the impact. The Magical Creature landed in a tumble next to her before standing up.

"Mavis!" Zera ran to her side and laid a hand on her side.

"I-I'm fine…"

"Eee..." Both girls looked at the strange animal in front of them who was glaring at the people in front of it.

"What is that thing…?" Warrod asked, staring at the creature.

The cub turned to the group behind it, then looked at Yuri. The man's eyes widened as he stared into the cub's big brown eyes. "Wait...are you…?" The fox's own widened in recognition.

"Don't let them escape!"

The fox turned and growled at the mages before rushing forward, ignoring the worried cries from Mavis. It jumped up, opening its mouth and showing its sharp teeth intended to sink into one of the mage's skin. A burst of magic shot from one of the staffs, slamming into the cub's stomach before it reached the intended target, causing it to scream out in pain before flying back and collapsing to the ground. It skid across the stone path before landing a few feet away from the group, smoke rising from its stomach. Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth in horror.

They all turned toward the large group of mages as they rushed forward. "Come on! We gotta get out of here!" Precht ordered. The others nodded and started running. Yuri scooped up the cub and followed shortly after. They easily passed the unconscious mages and were able to escape.

* * *

 _ **Magnolia - Western Forest**_

When they decided they were a safe distance from the city, the new group of six decided to set up camp. They had all come out of the battle with less injuries than expected, though they supposed it had to do with their currently incapacitated friend.

"How's it doing?" Warrod asked, watching as Mavis wrapped bandages around the cub's middle and head. When she finished she laid the cub down on a pillow and sighed.

"It should be fine, though the magic blast it took wasn't exactly merciful."

"I'm surprised it wasn't shot through," Precht said truthfully, looking at the subject of their talk. It was breathing lightly, wincing every so often.

"Magical Creatures have bodies that resemble a mage's. Because their body needs to be strong enough to hold its magic, it's naturally tougher than a regular animal," Mavis explained.

"So this thing's a Magical Creature? What's it called?" Warrod asked.

Mavis hummed in thought. "From the attacks it used as well as its appearance, I believe it is a part of the Eevee line."

"The what line?" Yuri asked.

"The Eevee line." She smiled a little at him. "This Magical Creature is known as an Eevee. This particular one is very different from all others because it has the ability to 'evolve' into many different forms. You see, these animals don't age like humans or other animals. Instead, they physically change into different forms depending on different things, like age or strength. Some even changed forms due to magic stones." She looked down at the animal now knows as Eevee. "This particular Magical Creature can change in every way."

"This is the only one that can do that?" Yuri asked in surprise.

Mavis nodded. "Yes, but it can only choose one form. Once it changes, it stays in that form forever. From what I've read, there have been a total of eight discovered forms."

"And this guy knows Dark Magic?" Precht asked.

"You could put it that way, but that's not all there is to it." She smiled. "There is usually one element that each Magical Creature excels at, but they can perform a wide range of spells based around healing, support, _and_ attacking. There are a lot of magic elements they use, and it rarely matters what element they are based upon."

Mavis grabbed a stick and started drawing a Magical Creature that was fairly common on Tenrou-a tiny mantis-like creature. "What's that?" Yuri asked, leaning forward slightly to get a better look.

"It's known as Fomantis, and it's specialty is Nature Magic." She drew an arrow pointing to a leaf, then drew another arrow. "However, it's able to learn basic spells that fall into no true category." She drew a circle, then another arrow. "And it's also able to learn a few Poison and Dark spells, despite its own body being extremely in-tune with nature."

She turned and started drawing another picture, this one of a lion with wild flame-like mane. "This one's a Pyroar, and it specializes in Fire magic. But it's also able to learn a few Earth spells, along with Nature spells."

"That sounds like it shouldn't be much of a problem," Yuri pointed out. Mavis grinned and held up a finger.

"That's where you're wrong. Unlike humans, Magical Creatures are more connected to their true element, in this case being fire. If a human were to base their entire magic power on one type, say...water." She drew a separate picture of a stick figure holding up two thin arms. Waves were drawn above them. Then a flame was drawn with an 'X' on top. "Then they would be unable to perform fire magic with as much efficiency, if at all; even after years of work, their magic would still be tipped over to water."

"But these beings can used multiple elements efficiently," Precht stated, to which Mavis nodded.

"Exactly!"

Warrod chuckled and shook his head. "Man, these adventures just keep getting stranger and stranger…"

Mavis stood, brushing any dirt off her dress. "I'm going to get us some water. I'll be back."

"W-wait, what do we do if this thing wakes up?!" Yuri asked, reaching out to the girl who had already disappeared. He sighed. "Great…"

The group remained in relative silence for about fifteen minutes. Yuri frowned and turned his head toward the direction Mavis went. "It shouldn't take her this long to get some water. Where is she?"

"I'm sure she's fine," Precht told him, his eyes closed and his back leaning against a fallen log. Warrod nodded in agreement.

Yuri said nothing as he laid back against his backpack, putting his hands behind his head. He might as well get some sleep before she came back.

He woke up a while later when he felt something shuffle by his side. He opened one eye, finding himself staring directly into two big and curious eyes, the rest of his vision colored brown.

"Gah!" He jumped to his feet in shock, causing the brown fox to tumble to the ground with a surprised yip. "W-what the hell!" He heard laughter and saw his two companions laughing at him, though Precht was a bit more subdued.

"Man, I was wondering how long it would take you to notice. That was hilarious!" Warrod exclaimed between laughs.

"Oh shut up!" He ordered, though it went unheeded. He scoffed and looked at the Magical Creature with a scowl. It tilted its head in thought for a moment before standing and crouching, giving Yuri its own scowl, though it didn't have any anger or annoyance that his did and it was much cuter.

The blonde blinked in surprise, his growl disappearing, an action copied by the Magical Creature. The brown cub sat on its haunches and grinned up at him as he squatted down to get a closer look at it. It tilted its head and yipped. "So you're an Eevee, huh…?"

"Vee!"

"Is that all it can say?" Warrod asked, leaning toward the Eevee. It smiled at him. "That's one interesting language barrier…"

"From what Mavis said, it understands human speech," Precht added, "But you're right in one respect. While it can understand us, _we_ can't understand _it._ "

Eevee's ears twitched and it turned its head toward the forest. "Eev?" The other three looked in that direction as well, and were surprised to see Mavis walking over with a man behind her dressed in black.

"Okay, who's this now?" Warrod asked, looking at the man suspiciously.

Eevee tilted its head in interest at the man, who gazed back with equal intrigue. It could feel the negative energy surrounding the man from a mile away; it was just so potent… The other humans around it began asking the strange man and Mavis questions, but they were all muted in its ears. The fox's eyes stared into the unknown wizard's, and it felt drawn to them.

It started walking forward, ignoring the strange look Yuri gave it. The black-haired man looked down at it and his eyes widened in horror, taking a step back for every step forward it went. "Please, you mustn't come near me…" he told it in a soft voice, holding his hands out in defense. Eevee stopped, looking at him with a frown, tilting its head in confusion.

"Vee…?" " _Why not?"_

"Because I don't wish to hurt you…" Everyone's eyes widened.

"Do you… you can understand it?" Warrod asked.

The man nodded, his eyes never leaving the fox just in case it started walking toward him again. "I have been on this earth a long time… I can do a lot of things many cannot. Including understanding the language used by the Magical Creatures."

"This man has agreed to teach us magic!" Mavis exclaimed happily.

"Magic? No way!" Yuri muttered, though he quickly grinned in excitement.

"Is it possible for us to learn?" Precht asked, looking unconvinced.

"Yes," the man clad in black answered, "All of you are able to learn magic. And with my help you will be able to reach your goal and defeat Blue Skull."

"Well then, what are we waiting for?!" Yuri asked, punching his fists together in excitement. "Let's get started!"

"Vee vee!" " _Yeah! Started!"_ Eevee exclaimed happily, throwing a paw up into the air.


	3. Chapter 3

Darkness surrounded the group as the moon rose. The fire crackled as it blazed behind them, Eevee resting next to it, its body curled into a comfortable ball. Warrod, Precht, Yuri, Zera, and Mavis all sat in a meditation pose-their hands resting palms-up on their knees, with their eyes closed in concentration.

They'd been sitting like that for about fifteen minutes now, and a certain blonde-haired man was getting impatient. He opened one eye and looked to Mavis. "I don't understand why we have to meditate so much," he whispered to her, "What does that have to do with magic training?"

"It's important for building a good, strong foundation," she replied, her eyes remaining closed.

"The power to use magic must come from both within and without," their new teacher said, holding up a stick. The tip gained an orange glow and he placed it on the tree trunk next to him, causing it to sizzle. He created a diagram on the trunk. Yuri and Warrod opened their eyes, sweatdropping when they noticed how far away he was.

"You're too far away," Warrod told him.

"He can't get any closer than that," Mavis explained. The two men sighed before returning to their positions.

The man pointed to the diagram with the stick, the tip no longer glowing. "Spells are the concentration and physical release of the magic power that we possess, stored within our bodies."

Yuri frowned. "I don't think I have any of that magical junk in me."

The man looked to him. "Perhaps you don't. But once you understand how magic power works you'll see that isn't really a problem." He looked back to the tree. "Let me break it down for you: the magic power is as vital to a wizard as the air he breathes. Without it, we can't do much at all. The base substance upon which magic power is build is referred to as Ethernano."

"Ethernano…?" Mavis asked.

"Yes. It can be found in the atmosphere around us and we have the ability to absorb it into our bodies. The next step requires focus: transferring Ethernano into magic power." He looked to the group. "Meditation is the best way to draw in Ethernano, so that is why it is a part of our training."

Yuri looked to Mavis. "Did you know any of that?"

Mavis smiled and turned to him. "I've read about it, yes, but not all of it." She then raised her hand. "Teacher, I have a question!" Her exclamation woke Eevee, who was now sitting up and watching the lesson.

"We're not in a classroom, you know," Yuri muttered, looking at her strangely while Warrod muttered to Precht about being a 'scary student'.

Mavis ignored Yuri's words, continuing uninterrupted, "I understand that Ethernano is the source of a wizard's power, but does it follow that if we absorb more from the atmosphere, we can use more powerful spells?"

The man took a moment to think on her question. "Good question." He looks back to the diagram. "Every wizard has a vessel, and a limit to their magic power and how much Ethernano they can absorb. When you use a lot of magic, you empty your vessel and are unable to use spells, however your body still absorbs Ethernano on its own. It wouldn't take long before the vessel is restored and you can perform spells without having to really do anything at all. Not even meditate."

"Awesome!" Mavis exclaimed with stars in her eyes.

"There is one other very important element in using magic, though."

"Really? What?"

"To be effective, it isn't enough to just absorb Ethernano and convert it to magic power. There is one other factor that must be considered… I'm talking about a wizard's feelings."

Everyone's eyes widened in surprise. Whatever they expected to hear, it wasn't that. However the only one was not surprised was Eevee.

"The power…" Zera muttered.

"...of feelings?" Mavis finished.

The man nodded. "It's almost impossible to use magic well without feeding off our strongest emotions, so we have to be able to access them." His eyes gazed over their forms before landing on Eevee. "Magical Creatures in particular are especially good at this." Warrod, Mavis, Zera, Precht, and Yuri turned to look at the small creature as he continued talking. "They are very in-tune with their emotions and the emotions of those around them. In Eevee's case, not only can it access its feelings almost flawlessly, but it can also sense and react to the emotions the rest of us are currently feeling. Even a baby such as it can sense them."

"It can sense all our feelings?" Precht asked, staring at Eevee with new curiosity.

"Yes. However, because of this, if there is a considerable amount of a certain feeling, like anger or sadness, then those emotions will affect Eevee, making its emotions dip toward that specific feeling." He turned his head to another tree and started creating another diagram. This one had a picture of Eevee inside a circle with strange symbols surrounding it. "They are not just tuned into emotions, though. They are also close-knitted to magic itself, and by extension, Ethernano. Because of their strong connection to magic, both inside and out, they are able to draw upon Ethernano like a near-endless reservoir."

Mavis held up her hand again. "But sir, I thought there was a limit?"

"Yes, there is. But the case is a little different for Magical Creatures; While they do have their own magical storage, they rarely have to wait for their magic to be replenished. As I said, they constantly draw in Ethernano into their bodies."

"If they do that, wouldn't their bodies overflow with magic?" Yuri asked. Their teacher shook his head.

"No. Any extra Ethernano absorbed by their body is then used to give them increased physical traits, such as stamina or strength, the amount of which is dependant on the species. They already have incredible durability on their own, but the Ethernano they absorb helps increase it further, whether it be durability, speed, or stamina, allowing them to battle more often and with less injuries due to falls or physical hits. But with every Magical Creature, it is the same: their bodies draw in Ethernano almost endlessly, and whatever Ethernano they do not need for their magic container is used to increase their physical capabilities."

"Amazing," Warrod and Yuri muttered simultaneously, also looking back to their new friend who only smiled back without a care in the world.

"It seems we've let time slip us by," their teacher said, looking up at the dark, star-filled sky above before looking down to Mavis and the others. "Get some rest. We will begin practical training tomorrow." With that, he turned and disappeared into the forest.

The others were silent for a moment before Mavis whispered to the man, "Goodnight."

Yuri stretched his arms and back, letting out a big yawn. "Well, we better do what the guy says and get some sleep."

"I wasn't expecting him to know so much about Magical Creatures. I thought they were only on Tenrou," Warrod said, his words directed at Mavis who shrugged.

"I suppose he could have researched them or even went to the island himself. I haven't seen him before, though."

"So the guy's an enigma. At least he's teaching us something," Yuri grumbled as he lay down on his sleeping bag. He closed his eyes and placed his hands behind his head. "Let's just get some rest." The others mumbled their goodnights and did exactly that, no other words exchanged.

Yuri was about to fall asleep himself, but felt a sudden weight on his stomach. He opened one eye and saw that Eevee was curled up in a ball with a smile on its face, resting on top of him. Too tired to shoo it off, he simply closed his eye and let the little creature use him like a pillow as he himself fell asleep.

* * *

The next day, the group of six walked to a nearby clearing and met up with their teacher, who instructed them to begin meditating. "Before you begin," he started as they sat in their positions, "I would like to ask Eevee to come up and provide a demonstration of what it would look like when Ethernano enters your body." Eevee walked over and stood between him and the group. Turning to the latter, it sat on its haunches and closed its eyes, its breathing steadying out. After a few moments, a multi-colored aura surrounded Eevee, making everyone, bar the teacher, widen their eyes in surprise and awe.

"Amazing…"

"It's so pretty!"

"Eevee made it look so easy..."

The aura disappeared and Eevee opened its eyes, grinning at them, then at the man behind it, who nodded. "Right, begin your training."

They closed their eyes and eased their breathing. They remained this way for a few minutes, some doing better as time went on, while a certain blondie was fidgeting slightly in place.

Eevee's eyes sparkled when it noticed the grass flowing slightly around Precht, despite there being no wind at the moment. "Vee!"

The others opened their eyes and looked to Precht in surprise as he gained a silver-white aura.

"He's really doing it!" Mavis said in a hushed voice.

"That's amazing!" Yuri remarked.

Their teacher smiled. "Well, Precht, it seems you were destined to become a wizard." Precht looked at him in surprise, then looked away with a faint blush on his cheeks.

"Let's do our best as well!" Mavis exclaimed, getting nods from Zera, Warrod, and Yuri, before they returned to meditating.

Eevee watched them silently, a serious look on its face. It observed as Warrod was the second to gain an aura - this one having a green hue, then Mavis, whose aura seemed to flicker on and off, with the latter happening more frequently. It noticed with a frown that Yuri had yet to gain an aura, and was struggling with keeping still, as he was fidgeting around quite often. It wanted to help, but it didn't know how, so it just continued to sit there.

Around noon, their teacher told them to take a break and eat so they didn't run out of energy.

"You get a half-hour break, then it's back to meditating. Precht, Warrod, since you both seem to have gathered enough Ethernano, I will bring you two to the next stage of training. I have already asked Eevee and she will help me demonstrate," he explained before turning and walking to the far side of the clearing, allowing them to talk amongst themselves.

"Man, this sucks…" Yuri muttered to himself as he angrily bit into his sandwich. While he was a little annoyed at the fact Warrod and Precht got the hang of it first, he was angrier at himself. Why couldn't he pull in the Ethernano? Was he just not cut out for it? No. He wouldn't- couldn't- accept that as fact. When they continued training, he was going to get this down-pat if it was the last thing he did.

"Eevee?" Yuri looked down to the small brown fox in surprise. He was so caught up in his thoughts, he didn't even notice it walking over. He looked further down at its paw and saw it placed on his leg in a comforting gesture. He frowned and ruffled the fur on top its head.

"Sorry… I forgot you could sense my emotions." Eevee only smiled and pushed its head closer into Yuri's, a soft rumble coming from its chest.

Unknown to them, Mavis and Zera were watching, with the former having a smile on her face. "Those two seem close."

"I don't like it," Zera muttered, crossing her arms and looking away with a huff. Mavis looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Why? Don't you want little Eevee to be happy?"

"Of course I do!" Zera huffed, "Just not with some treasure hunter…" She looked away with puffed cheeks and crossed arms. Mavis blinked at her in confusion before her eyes lit up and she bit back a laugh. Zera noticed and glared. "What?"

"You're jealous, aren't you?"

Zera sputtered. "N-no! I'm not!"

"You totally are."

"I told you I'm not!"

"What's their deal…?" Warrod whispered to Yuri, who looked over with a raised eyebrow. Eevee had moved to his lap while he absentmindedly pet it.

"Dunno."

* * *

"Warrod, Precht, please follow me," the black-haired man ordered as he turned and started walking away from the clearing. The two exchanged looks before following. Eevee noticed and followed as well, walking alongside Precht.

"Why are we going away from them?" Warrod asked.

"They need silence in order to concentrate. They won't get that of we train around them."

"How do we even begin training?"

The man stayed silent, and no further questions were spoken.

They reached the training spot, which was another, smaller clearing that had multiple rocks of different sizes; perfect for target practice. They stopped walking and their teacher turned to them. "Today, we will be learning to form magic."

"Form?" Precht questioned. The man nodded.

"Yes. In order to use magic, you must be able to form it. Giving it a specific area of concentration will allow for more powerful magic spells and easier control. For example..." he gestured to Eevee, who moved between them and turned toward the two newbies. "Eevee will show you one of its most basic spells made from darkness magic."

On cue, Eevee opened its mouth. A few moments later of nothing happening, a tiny ball of magic energy started to form between its teeth. Dark energy seemed to swarm into the sphere, enlarging it until it was only a little smaller than Eevee's head. The shadows within the orb swirled around, wisps of darkness seeping out.

"Woah!"

"Amazing…"

"I believe this spell is known as _Shadow Sphere_ , or _Shadow Ball_. It condenses magical energy into a singular space, giving it a visible form." Eevee fired it, the projectile barely missing Warrod as it shot past and slammed into a tree. The sphere disappeared after contact, leaving a tree with a round indent on the trunk. "Obviously it isn't as strong as it could be since, according to what your friend had said, it only recently hatched.

"But the basic principle is the same. You have to focus on one part of your body, I recommend going for your hand or your foot to start. Focusing on something so small like a finger would be difficult for beginners. Too much power and-"

"Gah!" Warrod fell back, landing roughly on his butt with smoke rising from his hand. Eevee let out a noise that sounded suspiciously like a snort, while Precht and their teacher seemed amused.

"As I was saying, if you put too much power into that focus point, it will rebound." Warrod rubbed his hand.

"Damn, that hurt," he muttered.

"It is paramount that you keep track on how much magic energy you put in." Warrod stood back up. "Let's start with you, Precht. Focus on your hand. Feel the magic energy flow into your hand."

The blonde closed his eyes and focused on his hand which was held up in front of him, palm up. He felt the magic inside him flowing into his hand. When he opened his eyes again, he saw that a soft white glow surrounded his hand.

"Very good Precht," the teacher praised, making Precht blush in slight embarrassment.

"My turn!" Warrod closed his eyes and concentrated.

* * *

"Yuri, what are you doing?" Mavis asked her friend worriedly, sitting up from her position in her sleeping bag. Darkness had covered the sky, and their teacher told them to get some rest for tomorrow. However, one person wasn't sleeping like the rest. Yuri was sitting Indian-style on his sleeping bag, facing away from her and the fire. Eevee was curled on his sleeping bag, fast asleep.

"Could you keep it down? I'm _trying_ to meditate over here." His aggravation at being behind his friends was clearly shown in his voice. Mavis frowned worriedly.

"It will never happen if you keep trying to force it. Just open your mind and let it flow into you," she explained in a calm and quiet voice, hoping to appease him. This had the opposite effect, however, as Yuri jumped to his feet.

"Screw this, I'm going to go crazy!" His loud exclamation woke Eevee up, and it looked over to the blonde who was now doing squats.

"Vee…?" It looked at him questioningly, still half asleep. It snapped fully awake, however, when a yellow glow surrounded his body and he yelled out in victory.

"I'm doing it! It's working!" He slid over to the other two and continued squatting. "Look guys, I'm absorbing it!"

"Yeah, that's great…" Warrod muttered.

Precht glared. "Just shut up and go back to sleep."

Eevee jumped to its feet and smiled happily at Yuri, yipping in delight. Mavis smiled, chuckling at his excited comments.

* * *

For the next few days, everyone, minus Eevee and the mysterious black-haired man, practiced meditating and using their magic. Each of them had gone their separate ways to train, with only Mavis and Zera staying together. While everyone was training, Eevee decided to talk to their teacher.

"Ee?" The black-haired man turned his head and looked down at Eevee...who was...right next to...him.

"Stay away!" he exclaimed, dashing behind a tree far from the small Magical Creature. It tilted its head slightly.

"Eevee vee?" " _What's wrong?"_

"You can't get close to me…" he said, looking away with a frown.

" _Is it because of the death magic?"_ His eyes widened and he looked at it in shock, but it just stared back calmly.

"How do you…?" He stopped, chuckling at the realization. "Of course. You can sense magic, and since you're more in-tuned to it…"

" _I only hatched a few days ago...but that doesn't make me stupid."_ It took a couple steps forward, but stopped a good distance away. The man smiled a bit.

"I suppose not. But why did you come that close to me when you knew about my magic?"

" _I wanted to make sure you weren't going to hurt my friends,"_ Eevee replied, sitting down. " _You have death magic...but I wanted to make sure that you still cared for life enough to not hurt them. Seeing you run away from me just so I wouldn't be hurt proves it."_

He raised an eyebrow. "You seem… a bit smarter than usual."

Eevee lowered its gaze. " _When I was an egg, I was able to get information from Mavis and Zera when they were taking care of me. From what my instincts tell me, I think it might be the same for any of my kind. We can take in information when we're eggs so we can survive on our own at an early age. And since I was an egg for so long…"_

"I understand," the man said, nodding. From what he read and understood, most Magical Creatures that existed seven years ago were much smarter when they hatched than any human child. They were able to fight and communicate almost instantly. So it made sense that they would retain information from their egg stage.

" _Mister?"_

Those thoughts were put into the background of his mind and he looked at the brown fox. "Yes?"

" _Do you...have a name?"_ It seemed shy, its gaze at the ground while its paw scratched light circles into the dirt. The man blinked, then nodded.

"I suppose that it would not harm anyone in telling you." It looked up and smiled. "My name...is Zeref."

Eevee smiled. " _It's nice to meet you Zeref!"_

The two stayed in silence for a moment before kneeling down and looking at it. "What about your name?" Eevee lowered its head again.

" _I don't...have one…"_ Zeref frowned. " _I was hoping they would give me a name...but they never did…"_

"I see… Now that I think about it, they only ever called you by the name of your species." Zeref gave it a smile. "Would you like me to tell them what you want?" Eevee looked up in surprise.

" _W-would you?"_ He nodded, causing Eevee to jump up excitedly and run around. " _Yay! I'm gonna have a name! I'm gonna have a name!"_

A small smile grew on Zeref's lips.


End file.
